The Masters Review

You are a vital organ. A mail carrier, that is: the only connector between people far away. —Charlie M. Case, "UNDELIVERANCES" Summer Short Story Award Honorable Mention mastersreview.com/summer-short-s…

"No matter how much soul I force into the gas pedal, trying to shove it through the bottom of the car and into the asphalt churn beneath, I can’t seem to outrace the ache of you." —Nathan Kimball, "The Hurt I Am Rendering" mastersreview.com/summer-short-s…

You have been thinking, every once in a while, about what it would be like to die. —Dave R. Riser, "Fossil" mastersreview.com/new-voices-fos…

"In college, I used to tell my friends I was one-quarter gay. I didn’t yet know about the Kinsey scale. I just knew that there were women I thought were attractive. " —@msshavahn, "Confession with Erasures" mastersreview.com/new-voices-con…

"Sister Catherine Anne O’Hara had been bullying me and the other seven scumbags at the table for hours." —Robert B. Miner, "Bad Habit" mastersreview.com/new-voices-bad…

"It came to pass that my sister and I were sitting on the porch snapping beans when Mrs. Pomeroy ran up the street completely naked." —Charlie Watts, "Mrs. Pomeroy's Table," Reprint Prize Runner-Up mastersreview.com/reprint-prize-…

"The doctor said I forget what. I didn’t understand what she said." —Judith Hannah Weiss, "The Doctor Said," Reprint Prize Runner-Up mastersreview.com/reprint-prize-…

"We got along fine with the couple across the street until they started having children and we couldn’t." —Read Cook, "Bristol Palin is a Realtor" Winner of the 2025 Reprint Prize mastersreview.com/reprint-prize-…

When I first learned I had a publisher for the book my mother said, “I could sue you, you know?” I believed she was certain that she wasn’t going to be good enough, even as a character in my book. mastersreview.com/a-conversation…

Josiah had no need for a compass or a map—or a guide, for that matter—to tell him he was lost. —Brandon Ingalls, "Broad Horizons" mastersreview.com/new-voices-bro…

New Writers on Not Writing! This month, we hear from two writers—Shawna Borman and Kristine Snow Millard—who turn to drawing and home improvement to get their creativity flowing. Read here: mastersreview.com/writers-on-not…

Can't wait until next week? Pre-order your copy of "Tiny Vessels" by JR Fenn, winner of The Masters Review’s 2024 Chapbook Open. Order your copy today: redmarepress.com/books/tinyvess…

New book review: "Terry’s multiple, overlapping narratives often jump around in time and place, but keep a constant moral framework." —David Lewis Read here: mastersreview.com/book-review-te…

"When my alarm went off on the last Tuesday of eleventh grade, my two remaining Illusions were sitting on the edge of my bed, braiding each others’ hair." —@holdswo, "Watch Her Go" Read here: mastersreview.com/new-voices-wat…

This might be the shortest month of the year, but there’s certainly no shortage of contests for you to join! Take a look at our list, and enter as many contests as you want! Read here: mastersreview.com/february-deadl…

✍️🕯️Closing soon: Our Winter Short Story Award! 🕯️✍️ The first-place winner receives $3,000, online publication, and agency review. Guest Judge Jim Shepard will choose our winning stories this year! Deadline: February 1, 2026, 11:59 PM Pacific mastersreview.com/winter-short-s…

How far would you go in the name of friendship? How far would you go to know you were loved? Would you go to the end of the earth? In “Flat Earth” by Erin Sherry, two teenagers set out to reach the world’s rim. Read here: mastersreview.com/from-the-archi…

Our sister magazine @PalettePoetry honors Renee Good by sharing her poetry and other poems that respond to this moment, while also highlighting resources and organizations in Minnesota that readers can support. Check it out here: palettepoetry.com/2026/01/16/poe…

New book review: "Book of Exemplary Women" by Diana Xin "Their behavior is often far from exemplary. But what they are is fully, heartrendingly human. And for that, we must admire them." —B.B. Garin Read here: mastersreview.com/book-review-bo…

It’s time for one of our favorite traditions: rounding up our reading team’s personal Best Ofs for the previous year! Curious to know more about our eclectic tastes? Which editor spent the most time reading fantasy this year? Read here: mastersreview.com/what-we-read-i…